Enforced Vacation
by PaperHat
Summary: Gibbs is hell to work with more than usual and the team realise that he needs a vacation. How do you get Gibbs to take a vacation? Warning contains spanking, don't like don't read.
1. Intolerable and Impossible Plots

**Disclaimer - I do not own NCIS.**

**Warning - Contains spanking, don't like, don't read - Step away from the story now!**

* * *

Tim McGee's face paled progressively as he stood in front of Gibbs getting the mother of all dressings down for not following through on a lead as quickly as Gibbs wanted him to.

"While you are sitting on your God-damned ass, playing with hard drives and crypto whats-it's, there's a Petty Officer lying on a slab downstairs and his murderer is walking the streets, looking for their next victim!"

McGee's mouth flapped, "B..boss, it's just taking a little longer than I expected to cross-check the algorithms and create a referencing match to the data from the hard drive, when I've done..."

"I don't _care_, McGee! I want that information and I want it before you leave here tonight or you'll regret it!"

Gibbs stormed off towards the elevator, heading towards the lab, to deliver a similar stinging verbal attack to Abby about DNA results.

Tim's shoulders sagged as Gibbs left and he let out a huge sigh, "We _have_ to do something Tony, we really do. It's getting really, really difficult to cope with him, when he's like this."

Tony narrowed his eyes with discomfort as he lifted himself from his chair and instinctively rubbed his backside. He had pretty much been keeping himself quiet after his 'meeting' with Gibbs earlier that morning. The boss hadn't taken too kindly to his 'shooting hoops' with items of stationery into Ziva's trash can and had intercepted what was going to be a direct hit with a stapler just as he bounded back into the bullpen, coming from the coffee shop. One spilled coffee cup, one stained shirt and one bruised elbow later, Tony had found himself in the all too familiar position of closely inspecting the shine on the conference room table while Gibbs let his belt explain difference between a place of work and a basketball court.

"I know, Probie. I think the time has come for us to consider drastic action" he winced.

"Uh...drastic action...what are you talking about here?"

"My gut instinct says something about drugging him and packing him off to Mexico to spend a few weeks with Mike Franks, let him sort him out. On the other hand, my head, which really would like to remain attached to the rest of my body, says, why don't we have a word with Ducky about him, see if he can talk some sense into him and get him to calm down."

Tim furrowed his brow and then nodded in agreement, "Ducky it is then."

They headed towards the elevator and as the doors swished open, they were met by a furious and frazzled Ziva, who ran straight into Tony.

"Urrghhh! Sorry, Tony" she snapped.

Tony smiled, "Hey! It's okay, what's up?"

Ziva took a sharp intake of breath and placed her hand on her brow.

"I swear if we do not do something about Gibbs, I might kill him instinctively!"

Tim chuckled, "We, were just discussing that very problem, Ziva, and we've decided to speak to Ducky."

Ziva closed her eyes momentarily to calm herself down before replying, "I will accompany you."

The three agents stepped into the elevator and silently headed for autopsy.

"Hey Ducky!" Tony beamed as he led the way.

"Anthony my dear boy...oh...a delegation indeed, what brings you three down here?"

Tony sighed and looked cautiously at the others, a raised eyebrow from Tim signalling that he was happy for him to take the lead in speaking to Ducky.

"We're looking for a favor, well actually it's kind of stronger than a favor, in fact it's sorta like a life or death thing, basically, when you think of favor, this doesn't..."

"Oh for goodness sake, Tony, spit it out!"

Tony swallowed hard, "It's Gibbs."

His shoulders sagged at the very mention of his boss's name.

"He's getting really difficult to work with. He's like Gibbs but only ten times worse, you know how the Incredible Hulk is like mean guy times a hundred, well Gibbs is like a Hulk Gibbs...only not green...but still mean...and angry."

Ducky smirked, "Tony, is there _any_ conversation you can have where it doesn't involve a cinematic reference?"

Tony shook his head and shoved his hands lazily in his pockets and sighed.

"He is intolerable Ducky, he is causing us all to have nervous shakedowns," Ziva snapped as she placed a hand on her furrowed brow.

"It's a breakdown, Ziva," Tim corrected gently.

Ducky placed his hands on his hips and frowned.

"Jethro does seem rather out of sorts and has been short with me on a couple occasions. His voice does tend to wield a rather fractious and sarcastic tone these days."

Like a concerned grandfather, Ducky smiled gently as he eyed his three 'grandchildren' eagerly awaiting his solution to sort all their troubles.

"We...were...uhm...kinda hoping that you could have a...word...with him," Tony said quietly.

Taking a deep breath, Ducky pondered Tony's request for a moment.

"Is there an alternative?"

Tony chuckled nervously, "I thought perhaps drugging him and shipping him to Mexico to Mike Franks would do the trick, but as that is out of the question we thought of you."

Ducky raised an eyebrow, "Well, as you say, yes, drugging Jethro is rather out of the question, but your premise of a vacation with Mike isn't entirely unsound Tony."

Three sets of eyes frowned in confusion, not entirely sure what the medical examiner was leading to.

"Jethro's problem, is that he is _tired_. The man never takes a vacation and there is only so long that the body can sustain the constant pressure of modern day living before it has to be given time to recuperate and regenerate."

Tony frowned, "Regenerate...he's not a zombie is he?"

Ducky laughed, "You see, vacation time is part of good employment practice because it gives employees time to get their brains and their bodies in shape to meet the demands of their job. Even marines and sailors have leave, don't they? They need that time away from their jobs to heal their minds and bodies."

Ziva folded her arms and pouted, "Gibbs will _not_ take a vacation just because we ask him. How can we get him not to come into work if he wants to?"

"Enforced vacation, my dear, enforced vacation. We must ensure that his hand is forced into taking some time out; otherwise he may end up doing himself a serious damage."

"Or us," Tony winced.

Tim frowned, "But Ziva's right, we know we need to get him take a vacation but _how_ do we actually do it?"

"Timothy, you are a science fiction fan aren't you? Did you ever see Star Trek and in particular how the character of Bones would deal with a stubborn Captain Kirk when he needed medical attention?"

Tim pouted, "Uh...he'd normally say something like doctor's orders...but...I...uh."

Ducky continued to grin, "That is exactly how we are going to tackle this problem my dear boy, I shall speak to the Director and order Jethro to take some vacation time." Ducky replied in a matter of fact tone.

"You're kidding, right? You can do that?" Tim chuckled nervously.

Ducky nodded his head, "I'll simply point out as his physician, that Jenny has a duty of care to comply with."

"You're really serious, aren't you?" Tony said in quiet disbelief.

"Special Agent DiNozzo, would you rather have Gibbs forced to have a vacation _or_ spend another ten minutes with him in the conference room?"

Tony paled and then narrowed his eyes, "Okay, on behalf of my rear end and the rear ends of my co-workers we are eternally grateful."

_To be continued..._


	2. Now That is Teamwork!

**Disclaimer - I do not own NCIS.**

**Warning - Contains spanking, don't like, don't read - Step away from the story now!**

* * *

The plan of action concocted with Ducky silently rippled around the team over emails and instant messages whilst successfully managing to keep Gibbs unaware of their covert communications.

It had been agreed that Ducky would arrange for Gibbs to be told of his vacation by the Director. He would also enlist Jenny's help to arrange for the SecNav's private jet to take Gibbs and him to Mexico and to square things with Mike Franks. The quicker and easier Gibbs got on vacation the less time he had to change his mind or think of a way out of it.

Ducky approached the Directors office and smiled politely at Cynthia as she gave him permission to go into the office. He knocked on the door sharply and walked in purposefully.

"Ducky, it's not often I see you in here. What can I do for you?" Jen smiled.

Ducky took in a deep breath and began, "It has come to my attention Director that Agent Gibbs is not fit for duty."

Jen frowned, totally taken aback by Ducky's opening statement.

"Jethro was in my office around half an hour ago, and he looked fine. In fact, he looked _more_ than fine...let's just say his vocal chords are in peak condition, judging by the way he argued with me."

"That is _precisely_ my point. He is being even more cantankerous than usual. Unless you are aware of anything that is particularly bothering him, I would recommend that our Jethro needs to recharge his batteries!"

Walking around her desk to stand in front of the older Medical Examiner, Jennifer Shepherd wrestled with her thoughts. She knew Jethro better than most. The former partner in her recognised that his train was going slightly off track but the Director in her knew that asking Gibbs to take a vacation would be a battle that wasn't entirely worth the fight. She sat perched on the side of her desk and folded her arms and looked wearily into Ducky's eyes.

"We both know, Doctor, that I can't _make_ Gibbs take a vacation."

Ducky's eyes softened in mutual understanding, "Yes, I know my dear, but for the sake of the team, I think, to quote Agent DiNozzo, 'drastic action' is called for."

Jen winced, "I heard that Agent DiNozzo was on the receiving end of Jethro's wrath this morning...I've also had Ziva commenting on how difficult he's been to work with over these past few weeks."

She sighed heavily and Ducky smiled deviously, "I think I have a plan, my dear, which will solve all our problems...although...I do need your...assistance in a number of matters."

Raising her eyebrow, she grinned, "Tell me more Ducky."

Ducky proceeded to brief her on the plan devised by the rest of the team and she listened intently and paced up and down. She stopped mid pace and frowned,

"I'm not sure Ducky, what if I order both you and him to visit a base on some fake story, that way, you won't spend all of the flight fighting with him..."

Ducky opened his mouth to protest, but she continued, "...and that way, it's me he'll be pissed at, as usual, and not you."

He sighed in defeat and placed a hand on her arm, "Okay then my dear, we shall go with your plan. But rest assured that if I have to pull rank, as his physician, and order the stubborn bugger to rest I shall have no hesitation in doing so!"

Despite her reservations, she agreed to have Tony cover the team for a week while Jethro spent some time in Mexico. She also, more surprisingly in Ducky's mind, agreed to arrange for the jet transport and to brief Mike Franks.

"Like all effective operations, I assume that you have factored in the risks."

Ducky grimaced, "Ah, yes, we will be looking at _all_ of the worse case scenarios which may render our little plan unsuccessful."

Jen chuckled, "It's Gibbs you are trying to fool, Ducky. It won't be easy, so I'd plan scrupulously for all eventualities, if I were you."

Ducky returned the smile and left the room, his mind already racing with the prospect of putting the plan into action. Meanwhile Jennifer Shepherd reached for the buzzer on her phone,

"Cynthia, I need you to get hold of Mike Franks in Mexico. Tell him it's an emergency."

Around twenty minutes later, her telephone buzzed, "Mike, it's Jenny Shepherd, NCIS."

In Mexico Mike Franks gripped his beer bottle a little harder as he took a few seconds to respond,

"What's the problem Director?"

Jen bit her bottom lip. For her, the only thing worse than dealing with Gibbs, her former partner, was dealing with Franks, her former partner's former boss. Taking a deep breath, she steeled herself and called on her reserves of confidence.

"Gibbs needs a break, Mike. Ducky is worried about him, and so am I. He needs to de-stress a little to bring his focus back into line."

There was an awkward silence before Jen continued,

"Mike, can I send him to you for a week? He just needs a short break. Perhaps you can get him to calm down a little, for the sake of the team and for his own health."

"Is he sick or just being more of a bastard than usual?"

"The latter, Mike."

Jen detected the snort at the other end of the phone, "So, Probie's playing up and you can't handle him."

Jen swallowed hard and her mind raced, thinking of a response. Eventually, she resigned herself to the truth,

"You of _all_ people know how difficult he is to handle at times, Mike, and _you_ are the one who has always proven to be able to get him back on track more than anyone else, so, as Director of this Agency I'm using _all_ of the effective means at my disposal to make sure that my teams are working at optimum performance levels."

Mike took another swig of his beer and then grinned wickedly,

"Okay Jenny, you get Jethro down here...hell, I'll sort him out...won't be the first time I've had to calm Gunny Gibbs down."

With a sigh of relief, Jen smiled, "Thanks Mike, you've got a week to bring him back to his senses, then when he gets ba..."

As the phone went dead, she bit her lip once more and worked through the plan in her head,

"Lie to Gibbs, put him on a plane under false pretences, force him to take a vacation, leave him with Mike."

She whispered quietly to herself, "He can't do anything...you're his boss _and_ you are doing this because you care about him."

She gulped as she finished the sentence in her head, "Just you keep telling yourself that, Jennifer, and you'll be fine."

_To be continued..._


	3. When a Plan Comes Together

**Disclaimer - I do not own NCIS.**

**Warning - Contains spanking, don't like, don't read - Step away from the story now!**

* * *

The following morning had been going predictably like the others had in the previous couple of weeks. Even Tony had made an extra effort to get in on time and reduced his complaints and movie references to the absolute minimum.

"Where the hell is McGee?" Gibbs snapped as he almost ran into the bullpen, his fourth coffee of the morning in hand.

"He's just gone to the head, Boss," Tony replied quickly.

"Has he finished his part of the case report?"

Tony pulled the corners of his mouth down, "I...uh...don't know, Boss."

"You _don't know_, DiNozzo? You are the senior field agent and yet you don't know if the Probie has finished his work? Well, that is just great work, great leadership!"

Tony swallowed hard, "When I said I...uhm...didn't...uh...know...what I meant was that...uh...he...has..."

Tony's voice trailed as Gibbs stood toe to toe with him and narrowed his eyes at him dangerously.

"We closed this damned case yesterday, DiNozzo! I _want_ those case reports on my desk by 1200 hours or you'll be writing the ten copies we need to keep by hand, are we clear?"

There was a slight whimper from Tony, "Got it boss, 1200 hours...no problem."

Gibbs returned to his desk and started to pound at his keyboard. Tony sighed and his shoulders relaxed at yet another head slap averting moment. He sat back down at his desk and opened up his email box and noticed the message from Ducky, which he opened up immediately. He read the contents carefully, grateful for Ducky's meticulous minute by minute plan to deal with Gibbs set out in great detail.

"It's all systems go at 1300 hours," he thought to himself as he glanced at his watch, "not long to go now."

At 1245 hours, Ducky glanced at the clock in autopsy and smiled, "In a few hours Jethro, you will feel the heat of the Mexican sun, my dear boy."

He took the elevator to Abby's lab and she greeted him with a hug as he entered,

"Ducky! You all set for the Gibbs showdown?"

"Yes I am, Abby, are you?"

Abby lifted the small holdall and beamed with pride as she held it out for Ducky's inspection.

"Everything he needs for his Mexican vacation is in here, Ducky, including some sun screen, because you can never be too careful, especially if he is going to be relaxing on the beach. I also got him a new hat, with little boats on it, again for protective purposes. The Mexican sun is just as strong _and_ just as dangerous to the skin."

Ducky grinned, "you've done exceptionally well, it truly has been a team effort."

Abby smirked, "let's just say, Duckman, we weren't exactly unmotivated to fix the problem, he hasn't been himself lately."

She pouted as she continued, "I mean, I can understand how he gets really angry with Tony, but he was _screaming_ at me yesterday, _and_ he threatened me too."

Ducky frowned with concern, "threatened you, in what way?"

Abby blushed, "he reminded me that he would follow through on his promise that if he had to start smacking me like DiNozzo, he would."

"Oh dear" Ducky said quietly,

"Yeah...and that...you know...it...uh...wouldn't be on the head."

Ducky winced, "Well, my dear, perhaps after a few days away from the Navy Yard, Jethro might have calmed down enough for him not to fulfil _that_ particular promise"

Abby's eyes widened in agreement and she nodded.

Ducky made his way to the Director's office and smiled nervously at Jen as she lifted the phone to ask Cynthia to contact Gibbs.

Tony DiNozzo glanced sideways at the scene in the middle of the bullpen as Gibbs and Tim stood toe to toe. He winced in sympathy for the Probie, who, despite having made the deadline for the completion of the case report, effectively saving him from a handwriting nightmare, was in the firing line for a simple error.

The unnerving feeling of déjà vu was the only thing that Tim McGee could comprehend as he found himself facing an angry Gibbs once more, as he bawled at him furiously,

"What the hell has gotten into you McGee, this report is a disgrace! I know you are a Probie, but on my team we sure as hell do not mix up Marine ranks on a formal report, do I make myself clear?" Gibbs yelled.

"I...uh...boss...I do know the difference, it's just that...the...uh...personnel records kinda said that he was a Gunnery Sargeant till two days before we interrogated him...and...uh...at that point in the investigation...we...uh...he was a Gunny...boss. But...uh...you're right, I should have checked."

Gibbs narrowed his eyes and glared hard, making Tim gulp nervously.

"Do you want me to spell it out McGee?" Gibbs growled just as his phone began to ring.

Tim frowned with confusion and then winced as Gibbs hand collided with the side of his head. It did, however, provide him with the clarity he needed,

"I'll uh...change the report...on it...boss!" he spluttered and returned quickly to his seat.

Gibbs threw himself down in his chair and picked up his phone,

"Gibbs!"

"Jethro, I have a little assignment for you and Ducky, could you come up here please?"

"What kind of assignment?" he snapped.

"Just get your butt up here Jethro!" Jen sighed at his tone.

The stilled silence, broken only with the angry sigh from Gibbs, was quickly replaced with the beeping tone as he hung the phone up.

In the bullpen, Gibbs jumped from his chair and bounded angrily up the stairs. Reaching the Director's office, he thrust the door open and was stopped in his tracks when he saw Ducky.

"Okay, assignment, speak," he said brusquely.

"Jethro, SecNav has asked for a second opinion on a case being handled at Gitmo. The agent in charge will brief you guys when you get there on the case, but your orders are to cross check and verify the team's findings including the autopsy results."

Gibbs sighed heavily and folded his arms defiantly, "What's the problem, why the double check?"

Jen tried desperately to hold her ground, "The problem is Jethro, is that when SecNav asks for a second opinion, then he gets my best agent and medical examiner to do the job no questions asked. Got me?"

He frowned at her response and as the silence continued he rolled his eyes,

"and?"

She raised an eyebrow confused,

"When are we going? Did you get booted back down to Probie today Jen? Cos you're sure as hell acting like one!" he growled sarcastically.

Jen scowled, "Enough Jethro! SecNav's jet is waiting for you when you're ready. I suggest that you and Du..."

Before she could finish her sentence, Gibbs was already out of the door. Jen sat back in her chair and eyed the anxious ME with concern,

"You deserve a medal for this Ducky. I only hope Mike Franks can sort him out."

Ducky smiled and took a deep breath before heading out of the door.

_To be continued..._


	4. Confusion

**Disclaimer - I do not own NCIS.**

**Warning - Contains spanking, don't like, don't read - Step away from the story now! Also contains swear words.**

* * *

Ducky sipped a glass of iced water slowly as he sat back in his chair, his eyes never wandering far from the agent lying sleeping in the chair opposite. As soon as they had got settled in the plane Gibbs had folded his arms and fallen asleep. Ducky, although glad that Gibbs was at least getting some sleep, suspected it was a ploy for him not to engage in conversation. With the lifeless body in front of him, the natural instinct to chatter kicked in automatically,

"You know, Jethro, this reminds me of one of the pranks we played when I was at medical school, which is why I was so assured that we could pull this little stunt off, you see. We had a particularly nasty professor in our medical ethics class who decided that he would threaten us with a compulsory class slap bang in the middle of a Scotland versus England televised football match. We were all pretty much convinced that he had done it deliberately so a group of us decided to enlist the help of one of the other professors who delivered a note requesting the old buggers presence in a far of part of the campus as a matter of urgency. While he was away, while we all huddled around a small portable TV set to watch the match."

Ducky chuckled softly to himself as he recalled the memory, and then stared into space for a few moments,

"It was quite a tragic ending, in his urgency to return to the class he was the victim of a road traffic accident and lost his big toe at the mercy of a renegade road sweeper. However, on a lighter note, Scotland did win the match...surprisingly."

A head popped out of the cockpit,

"Dr Mallard, we will be landing shortly. Can you please ensure that you and Agent Gibbs are strapped in securely, Sir?"

Ducky nodded and fastened his seat belt and soon they had landed in the Mexican airport. It did not take long before the door of the private jet was opened and Mike Franks boarded it with a grin on his face.

"The tiger sleeping, Ducky?" he snorted, amused at the whole scenario.

"Yes, he's exhausted Mike," Ducky said as he reached over and unbuckled Gibbs' seatbelt and began tapping his arm lightly.

"Jethro, come on now, wake up, there's a good man, Gibbs!"

Mike leaned over Gibbs and took in a deep breath before he yelled loudly, "On your feet, Gunny!"

Gibbs instantly roused and he blinked his eyes furiously as he got used to his surroundings. As his focus became clearer his brain tried to process his confusion.

"Mike?"

Mike Franks smiled and whacked him upside the head,

"Wake up, Probie!" he snapped.

Gibbs swallowed hard and shoved himself further up the chair, his senses beginning to awake. He registered that he was in an aircraft and with the distinctive scent of the hot air filtering in through the door, he made the link that, with Mike standing in front of him, he must be in Mexico and no where near Gitmo.

It took a few moments, but as his brain caught up with him, he turned and glared at Ducky,

"What the _hell_ is going on Ducky?" he snarled his eyes wide with anger.

"Calm down Jethro, there's been a...how shall I put it...a change of plan, dear boy..."

"Why the _fuck_ are we in Mexico? And what the hell is _he_ doing here?"

Incensed, Gibbs rose abruptly from his chair but was forced back down by Mike Franks, who slapped his head, hard, once more, causing Gibbs to yelp out loud.

"Shut the hell up, Probie, and calm down while the Doc explains!"

Gibbs rubbed the back of his head and sat back down in his chair his steel eyes fixed constantly on Mike, his breathing still ragged with fury.

"I am ordering you on vacation Special Agent Gibbs. As your physician and friend _you_ are under doctor's orders!" Ducky explained sternly.

Gibbs eyes widened, and he opened his mouth to protest but the glare from Mike caused him only to growl loudly in defiance and focus a similar glare at Ducky.

"He's all yours, Mike. His things are in that bag over there. He has enough for the week."

Gibbs continued to frown defiantly when Mike hauled him by the arm from the chair.

"Come on, Probie. Let's get your sorry ass into the fresh air and start enjoying yourself. It's a vacation, not Leavenworth!"

Hearing the word 'vacation' for the second time Gibbs wrestled angrily from his Mike's grip,

"Vacation? Mike, there is _no_ way I am taking a God-damned vacation. This charade has gone on _long_ enough. I need to get back to my team and there is no way in hell you or _him_ are gonna stop me!"

Mike stared hard as he noticed Gibbs anger increased threefold accompanied by wide bulging eyes, a face red with frustration and a voice reminiscent of a marine drill instructor facing a group of rowdy recruits.

"Now why don't you get _your_ sorry ass the hell off this plane, Mike, and _you_, Dr Mallard, use that _mouth_ of yours to start yacking to that pilot and get this thing turned around and get us both back to DC before I do something I regret...NOW!"

Ducky began to nervously back up from Gibbs, "Calm down, Jethro, really, there is no need to get yourself so worked up!"

Gibbs became frantic with fury, "Doctor, so help me, if you don't get him off this God-damned plane and get me back to DC right now, I will _not_ be responsible for what I'll do to you!"

Mike stepped forward and Gibbs instinctively raised his hands to ready to wrestle himself away from him. Instead, Mike pushed him hard and he fell into the chair.

Taking the cigarette end slowly from his mouth, Mike dropped it into Ducky's water glass and kept his eyes firmly on Gibbs. He spoke in a low and firm voice which was as cold as ice.

"Doc, why don't you go check on how the refuelling is going on? Jethro and I are going to have a little chat and after that, you can be on your way."

Ducky smiled wryly at Mike and then gently to Gibbs as he quickly headed towards the door and proceeded down the steps.

Gibbs froze with his mouth open but unable to form words of protest. The tone of voice Mike used was one that jolted his memory instinctively. It was the tone that he always used before when he was in big trouble. It had been such a long time since he had heard it, but it still chilled him to the core now as it did then. He swallowed hard, his voice only able to rasp two coherent words.

"No way!"

_To be continued..._


	5. Calm Restored

**Disclaimer - I do not own NCIS.**

**Warning - Contains spanking, don't like, don't read - Step away from the story now! Also contains swear words.**

* * *

"Ah, Director, we have arrived my dear and I should be back on my way in a little under half an hour."

Jennifer Shepherd sighed, "How was he when he found out?"

"Confused and tyrannical as usual, however, I think Franks is about to administer his own brand of calming influencing on him."

Ducky was sure that he heard a gasp coming from the other end of the phone.

"I've heard Gibbs talk about Mike's calming influence before. Put it this way, Ducky, if anyone can get through to Gibbs, it's Mike Franks. Give me a call as soon as you get back, please, Doctor."

Ducky was about to respond, when he heard a familiar cracking sound coming from inside the jet. It was a sound more commonly heard coming from the conference room at NCIS. He spun around and stared at the opened door.

"I shall...do that, Director."

He snapped his cell phone shut and winced as the sounds continued and were now being accompanied with the raised voice of Jethro Gibbs.

"Ow!...Mike!...okay...fuck!...b..boss!"

"You gotta calm down, Probie! I sure as hell don't like your attitude, especially when we're trying to help your sorry ass!" Mike said calmly as he brought his belt down across Gibb's rear end.

Despite his own thoughts to the contrary, it did not take long for Jethro Gibbs to heed his former boss' words and calm down and let his anger and frustration and exhaustion flood from his body. He gasped shakily over the side of the small sofa and felt his upper body sag in defeat as the heavy weight of Mike's hand left his back.

Eventually, Mike Franks looped his belt back into his pants and sighed,

"Jethro," he said in a lighter tone now, "up you get boy."

Gibbs struggled to his feet, his face contorting for a few seconds as he adjusted to the throbbing ache in his backside as he straightened up and gulped back a breath, his demeanour more than a little humbler in front of his mentor.

"Hell, Mike, you may be a lot older, but you ain't lost your touch, Boss,"

Mike chuckled and grabbed Gibbs bag,

"Come on Gunny, now that we've got that out of the way, and you are seeing sense, let's get your fist around a bottle and not your Medical Examiner. Oh, and the first beer is on me and then it's your tab for the rest of the week."

Gibbs took in a deeper breath, calmer now than he had been for weeks, happy to let Mike to take the lead. He slowly and stiffly walked behind him towards the door and stood for a few seconds taking in the hot air and the blinding light of the Mexican sun. His eyes blinked to adjust to the light and they moved to settle on Ducky, standing waiting at the foot of the steps to board the plane once more for his journey home.

Stepping off the last step, Gibbs looked his old friend in the eye,

"You lied to me, Duck," he said quietly.

"Ah, yes, I am sorry about that Jethro, but it was the only way that we could get you to take a vacation. You were on a path to destruction, my dear fellow. It really was for the good of your health."

Mike Franks coughed deliberately and frowned at Gibbs and then nodded his head towards Ducky.

"Uh...Duck...about what I said on the plane...I...uh..."

Ducky smiled and raised his finger to his lip in an unspoken order to silence Gibbs.

Gibbs managed a smile and patted his arm gently, a sign that he had reconciled his anger with him and was providing as much of an apology as their friendship would allow.

"Sure was one hell of an idea you had though, Doctor."

"Actually, it was take on a concept by Tony's idea, who suggested we simply drug you and send you down here. The Gitmo ruse, was, however Director Shepherd's idea. Timothy and Ziva were rather shocked when I told them that I thought we should go through with it."

Gibbs narrowed his eyes. But for the still radiating fire in his backside, his anger would have risen once more; however, he simply continued to frown,

"DiNozzo I'll deal with later, Duck. You have a safe trip back. Just remember to send that jet back in five days. I'll be waiting."

Mike Franks placed a firm hand on Gibb's shoulder and whispered in his ear.

"Beer's getting warm, Probie."

Ducky boarded the jet once more and exhaled with relief as he watched the two gentlemen stroll to a waiting car. He grinned, however, at the stiffened gait of his friend as he followed his mentor like a well trained pup.

The following morning, Ducky stood in the centre of the bullpen and finished briefing the assembled team on the successful outcome of their plan.

"So, Agent Gibbs is very much now in the custody of Mike Franks and will not be returning for the next four days, when SecNav's jet goes to pick him up."

Abby beamed with delight, "way to go Ducky!"

"You are a braver man than I am," Tim added as he headed back to his desk.

As the team dispersed, Ducky strolled over to Tony,

"Anthony, I may have unfortunately let it slip to Jethro, that this uh...whole idea was...uh...yours."

Tony gulped and his eyes went wide,

"WHAT?" he yelped in shock.

Ducky grimaced and simply mouthed a silent apology before he returned to autopsy, leaving Tony pale and stunned in amazement.

He slumped himself down into his chair and held his head in his hands and couldn't help the whimper that escaped from his mouth.

"I never thought I would ever say this, but, I hope it's a long week this week."

_To be continued..._


	6. All Good Things Come to an End

**Disclaimer - I do not own NCIS.**

**Warning - Contains spanking, don't like, don't read - Step away from the story now!**

* * *

Jethro Gibbs smiled and emptied the contents of his last bottle of beer and sat with Mike on the hood of his car waiting for SecNav's jet to refuel. It had landed around half an hour earlier, right on schedule, and was preparing to return Gibbs to DC.

"Are you _sure_ you didn't get her phone number last night, Jethro?"

Gibbs snorted a chuckle, "No..." he turned his head and looked at Mike with a glint in his eye, "...wasn't for the want of asking though."

Mike roared with laughter and put an arm around the younger man's shoulder,

"It's been one helluva week, Probie. You sure as hell were one out of control devil dog when you arrived at the beginning of this week, but I think I've straightened you out alright now, huh?"

Gibbs face fell slightly as he sheepishly recalled exactly how Mike had calmed him down. He had known that he was spiralling out of control. However, what had increased his anger had been his reluctance to discuss it with anyone, even Ducky. It had been Mike's ability to take the responsibility from him that he realised he needed more than anything, and given him the opportunity to relinquish, for just a short while, some of his heavy responsibility. Mike's belt had worked, just as it always did, to put himself back in Mike's hands, however reluctant he might have been to let go.

"It's been great, Mike, just what I needed...I appreciate it, Boss," he replied quietly.

Mike grinned, "the vacation or the..."

"Vacation, Mike," Gibbs snapped as he shot him a friendly glare.

Gibbs grabbed his bag and gave Mike a hug before he strolled calmly to the jet, never turning back, and stepped into the cool air conditioned cabin, sat down and waited for his return journey to begin.

The jet soared into the blue Mexican sky and Mike waited until it was barely visible and then flipped open a cell phone and pressed the preset number.

"Gibbs is on his way," he said before he flipped the cell shut.

Back in the Navy Yard, Ducky put his phone down and smiled.

"Agent Gibbs is on his way, Mr Palmer, I must go and brief the others."

The bullpen had a relaxed and calm atmosphere as Ducky entered and headed for Tony's desk.

"Hang on, Ducky...woaaahh...come on...come on...yes! Level six conquered by the magnificent Anthony DiNozzo!"

"Let that be your last game, Tony, I've just had the word from Mike Franks, Gibbs is in the air and on his way."

Tony narrowed his eyes, glaring at Ducky. He gulped nervously.

"Did Mike say how he was? Is he better? Is he calmer? Is there a possibility that I might get through this unscathed?"

Ducky placed a reassuring hand on Tony's shoulder,

"He never mentioned how he was Tony, but I am certain that Gibbs will not take it out on you. We did this as a team, remember. United we stand, mmm?"

Tony smiled back weakly and nodded before glancing at his watch.

"He'll be back before we go off the clock, huh?"

Ducky nodded and smiled gently, "Don't worry, it will be fine."

As the day crept on slowly, Tony, Ziva and Tim had unconsciously reverted to lifting their heads every time the elevator doors swished open. Inevitably the time came when the doors opened and the familiar figure of Special Agent Gibbs walked slowly into the bullpen.

Tony beamed a smile, grasping at every brave cell in his body, "Hey, Boss, good vacation?"

Gibbs stopped mid-pace. He struggled to keep his stern face in check and suppress a grin, even though he was pleased to see his Senior Field Agent.

"Special Agent DiNozzo, Special Agent McGee, Officer David, I'll see you three along with Abby in the conference room in 10 minutes, after I've been to the head and checked in with the Director."

Three sets of eyes widened. Out of sight, Gibbs grinned and headed towards the bathroom.

"Agent Gibbs, you're ba..."

Cynthia did not even get the chance to finish as Gibbs bolted through the Directors door and slammed it shut behind him.

"Jethro, good vacation?" Jen asked raising an eyebrow.

Gibbs stood and stared at her sternly for a few moments. The silence drifted into that period of awkwardness and Jen began to wilt as she always did.

"Jethro, what we did, what I..."

He raised his hand to silence her and then turned it and beckoned her with his finger.

She narrowed her eyes, cautious about what he was up to.

"Come here, Jen," he said firmly.

She rose quickly, his tone of voice not really giving her any option. It was times like these and moments like these that she knew that her being Director was merely a door sign and a pay check. Gibbs was in charge, as always.

"You know how I feel about lies, don't you Jen?"

She swallowed hard, getting that usual nervous feeling in her stomach, she used to get when he was the boss.

"If you had done something like this when we worked together..."

He let the sentence hang, deliberately, letting her mind race.

"Turn around," he ordered, his face still stern.

She slowly turned around and then shivered as she felt the cold metal tickle around her neck. She beamed as he fastened the clip on the gold necklace he had placed around her neck. He turned her around by the shoulders and held her at arms length.

"A gift from my...vacation...can I get back to work now without fear of being lied to about some fantasy in Gitmo?" he said breaking into a smile.

She laughed, more with relief than humour and looked at him coyly, continuing to finger the thin gold necklace,

"Yes, Agent Gibbs, you have my permission to get back to work."

He grinned and headed out of the door. As he strode with purposeful steps, he held the image of the three errant NCIS agents and the wilful lab scientist clear in his mind and the familiar scowl returned to his face as he reached for the handle of the conference room door.

_To be continued..._


	7. The Vacation is Over

**Disclaimer - I do not own NCIS.**

**Warning - Contains spanking, don't like, don't read - Step away from the story now!**

_A/N A very big thank you to everyone who has reviewed this story. Thanks for your patience in publishing this final chapter. I've been out of town for the past few days, and I just got back in around an hour ago, so I am publishing the final instalment as soon as I can! I will be responding individually to reviews soon._

_I'm glad that so many of you have enjoyed this story. I couldn't have made this happen without the help of Sasha1600, so due credit should go to her also. She is a fantastic help and support, with the patience of a saint._

_Hope you enjoy the end of Gibb's vacation!_

* * *

In the conference room, Ziva and Tim had sat down and were twiddling their thumbs whilst Tony paced the floor with his hands in his pockets.

"Will you stop that!" Ziva snapped as Tony stomped past her again.

"What?"

"Your walking up and down, it's making me nervous."

Tony raised his eyes to the ceiling and sighed,

"Did you see his face? He actually looks more pissed now than he did _before_ he went on vacation! We are dead, I'm telling you, we are _not_ getting out of this one alive."

Tim gulped, "The fact that we _lied_ to him, sent him miles away and left him with his ex boss for a vacation that he clearly would _never_ had taken had it been his own choice, is probably contributing to the fact that he is a little pissed at us, oh and did I mention the fact that we _lied_ to him."

Both Tony and Ziva scowled.

"Did you learn to be subtle like that at MIT, McObvious?"

"No, Tony, I'm just saying, that you can understand why he might be upset."

"Oh crap, he's not worse is he?" Abby whined as she entered the conference room to join the others.

Ziva held her head in her hands, "His face is telling us that he is indeed not happy."

Abby paled and bit her bottom lip. "Tony! I can't take him like that any more!" she whimpered.

Tony put his arms around her shoulders and hugged her hard.

The door suddenly flew open and Jethro Gibbs stormed in and slammed the door loudly behind him. Tim and Ziva quickly got to their feet and the team found themselves lined up in front of Gibbs.

After pacing up and down the line for a few moments, Gibbs turned and faced them and eyed of them sternly in turn. Tony took a deep breath, feeling the weight of his Senior Field Agent responsibilities crushing his shoulders,

"Boss, I know you're not..."

Gibbs raised his hand to silence Tony and he immediately snapped his mouth closed. After a few tense moments Gibbs eventually broke the nervous silence, ready to deliver the words he, with Mike's help, had concluded needed to be said.

"I was out of line and it won't happen again. You all did what you had to do and went along with Ducky and the Director's plan for the benefit of the team and I am proud of you for that."

As the faint hint of a smile broke out on Gibb's face, there were audible gasps of shock and relief at his soft-spoken and sincere words.

Abby threw herself onto Gibbs and hugged him for dear life,

"Oh Gibbs! You're back all better!" she squealed in delight.

He took her by the shoulders and held her at arms length and then let her go and she returned to her place in the line up,

"However...the _next_ time any of you have a problem with how I am running the team, I damned well expect you to come to me and talk to me."

With a scowl directed at Tony, he continued,

"If _any_ of you play a stunt like that on me again, I will not only guarantee that you will be out of a job, but I will personally make sure that you can't sit for a month, are we clear?"

Four heads nodded quickly in agreement.

"Okay, let's get back to work, I think there's been enough of a vacation this week for all of us."

The team headed for the door and Gibbs took hold of Tony's arm preventing him from leaving,

"Not you, DiNozzo," he said firmly.

Tony swallowed hard and Gibbs waited until the others had left the room.

"So...it was _your_ bright idea, huh?"

Tony's eyes met the floor, his face flushed with a mixture of nerves and embarrassment.

"It wasn't exactly an idea, Boss, it was just a gut instinct comment I made that Ducky got hold of and things just...developed!"

"Your gut told you to have me drugged and flown to Mexico?"

"No!...well...yes...but...not in a bad way boss, honest! I...we...come on, Gibbs, everyone could see that you needed a break and when Ducky said..."

Tony sighed, unable to find any more words to help his case. He was ready to accept whatever Gibbs decided to do with him.

"Perhaps you should have listened to that gut of yours sooner, DiNozzo, and I wouldn't have to do this."

His mouth instantly dried up and he shrugged his shoulders, waiting for the head slap, hoping that a head slap was going to be the worst of what Gibbs had in mind. He eventually squeaked a response,

"Do what, boss?" he winced in anticipation.

Gibbs smirked and took Tony's hand and shook it firmly.

"This...Thank you Tony...for giving a damn about my six."

A broad smile of relief spread quickly on Tony's face and then quickly transformed into a scowl as Gibbs other hand whacked him hard upside the head.

"Ow! Boss, what was _that_ for?"

"That..." Gibbs said, pointing his finger in Tony's face,

"...that was the _only_ gift I brought you back from my vacation _and_ it was for playing computer games all week."

Anthony DiNozzo frowned in confusion, wondering how the hell Gibbs had known how he had spent his time while he was away. As he watched Gibbs leave the room, his beaming smile returned and he whispered quietly to himself,

"Welcome back, Boss. I missed you too."

THE END


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